Yes, cakes are serious business in this town, and now they’re political, too.

The cake consisted of several layers of chocolatey goodness joined by a filling of boozy cherries and frosting and featured white frosting on top — well, across half the top, sprinkled with a few cherries and a lone tree decoration. Slices were served from all around the tree, leaving it towering precariously atop the diminished layers in the center of its giant plate covered with cake debris.

The message was clear: The tree isn’t going to make it, and it’s your fault for being such a glutton.

The point is particularly salient given that Germany’s Black Forest that gave the original cake its name has been reduced to a fraction of its original size. In addition to widespread logging and the encroachment of farm land, the fabled forest has struggled to survive European air pollution.

As O’Malley writes on her blog, “We’re doomed. Eat cake. A variety of cataclysmic punishments from God continue to rain down upon us. Obviously, this is the time to eat several entire cakes.”